Automatic regulator for boiler furnaces



W. .I. MANHIRE. AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR BOILER FURNACES. APPLICATION FILED MAY27. 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J". MANHIRE, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO COMBUSTION SPECIALTY COMPANY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MIS.

sonar. 1

Application filed May 27,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM J. MANHIRE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Kansas City, county of Jackson, and State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Regulators for Boiler Furnaces, of which the following is a complete specification.

This invention relates to fan engine regulators, and more especially to mechanisms for use with fan en ines for circulating air through the fuel bed of a boiler furnace, the object being to produce an automatic mechanism for gradually increasing or decreasing the supply of air to the grate as the steam pressure of the boiler falls or rises, and thus obtain approximately uniform generation of heat by the furnace between grate cleaning and fuel replenishing periods.

plate and covering thediaphragm is a disc With this general object in view, the invention consists in certain novel and useful features ofconstruction andicombinations of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; andin order that it may be fully understood reference is tobe had to the accompanying drawing, in which 1-- i i Figure 1 is atop plan view of a fan engine regulator embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is aside view of the same showing certain parts in central vertical section to more clearly illustrate the invention.

Inthesaiddrawing, 1 indicates a suitably supported base plate provided with a circular cavity 2 in its upper side covered by a diaphragm 3,. and mounted upon said 4 secured rigidly to the plate by a series of bolts 5. The disc is provided with a shallow chamber 6 in its lower side corresponding in location to the diaphragm and of the same diameter, and said chamber is formed with a deepened portion 7 communicating at its center with a vertical opening 8 through whichprojectsa knife edged plunger 9 provided at its lower end with anenlargemcnt or head 10 fitting in the deepened portion 7 of said chamber. and restingon the dia phragnr and adapted when i the latter is pressedupwardly or expanded, .to move upward, this action of the diaphragm being accomplished by steam introduced into said chamber 2 through a pipe 11 connected to the boiler of the furnace, not shown;

Extending between a pair of standards and fulcrumed thereon as at 12is a lever 13,

Specification of Letters ZE'atent.

AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR BOILERFURNACES.

Patented May 16, 1922.

1920. Serial No. 384,766.

the same being disposed vertically over the plunger 9 so that when the latter is pushed upward the lever will be raised, and under lying the lever and mounted on the disc 4-. is a pair of adjustable stops, Li and 1.5 for llmiting pivotal movement of the lover.

Pivotally suspended from the outer end of the lever is a rod 16, on which are removably secured weights 17 for the purpose of holding the lever depressed upon the stop 15 until a predetermined steam pressure is applied against the under side of the dia phragm, and adjustably carried by the le- V6218 a poise 18, and a slide 19 provided with a cavity 20 in its upper side containing a ball 21, a set screw 22 being employed to secure the slide at the desired point of adustment on the lever.

A standard 23 is mounted on the base plate for the support of a pipe 24 for conducting steam from the boiler to the fan engine, not shown, and said pipe is equipped with a valve 25 having the stem 26 of the valve proper pivotally attached to a lever 27 fulcrumed at 28 on an arm of the casing of said valve. A slide 29 is mounted on said lever and secured at the desired point of ad justment by set screw 30, and pivotally depending from said slide is a rod 31, carrying a cage consisting of discs 32 and 33 connected by rods 341;, and mounted on disc 33 regulating weights 86 provided. with central openings 37 of different diameter, the diam eters of the weights 36 to the topmost weight. A li lt pin 38 fits sliding-1y in the disc 33 and normally rests on the ball 21, being provided with a cavity 39 in its lower end for receiving the upper portion of said ball, andsaid pin is reduced to form shoulders 40 of diminishing diameter upward, the arrangement being such that when the lover 13is raised, suliiciently, the upper end or shoulder of the pin 40 of said pin successively raise the remaining weights, beginning with the second one from the top, then the third one and so on until all of the weights have been lifted. When all of the weights 36 are carried by the lever 27, the valve 25 is opened to its fullest extent, and as saidweights 36 are successively removed from support by lever 27, the valve 25 is gradually closed, that is to say, as the steam pressure onthe diaphragm increases, the valve 25 radually closes and thus cuts down the supp y of steam to the fan engine, and

proportionately reduces the volume of air supplied by said fan engine to the grate of the furnace.

A rod 41 is pivotally suspended from the 5 inner end of lever 27 and carries removable weights 4E2 complementary to the weight of the cage at the outer end of the .lever, and to guard against spasmodic operationof lever 27, a dash pot 4:3 is mounted upon an arm 14 of standard 23, the plunger 45 of the dash pot having its stem. 46 pivotally connected to the said lever 27. L

From the foregoing it will be apparent that as the stem pressure on the diaphragm 15 fluctuates, the lever 13 will be operated and through the connections and mechanism described will effect slow and gradual opening and closing movements of the valve 25, and thus regulate the volume of air supplied to the grate by the fan engine, it being apparent that by reason of the fact that the lift pin 38 picks up the weights 36, one at a time, the changes in the quantity of air supplied by the fan engine to the grate will be soft and gradual as distinguished from spasmodic or violent changes. It will of course be understood that the changes in boiler pressure will be due to the fact that the accumulation of ashes on the grate effects a proportionate increase in the resistance to the passage of air'through the grate and that the increase of air, is necessary to compensate for this increased resistance.

hen the regulator is in operation there is a constant but slight fluctuation in the movement of lever 13 due to slight fluctuation in the boiler pressure, and this can be noticed, particularly in very slight fluctuations, as the topmost weight 36 can be seen to rise slightly off the underlying weight and then movedownward again. If the fluctuations are somewhat greater the topmost weight will 'rise and then be followed upward by the underlying weight, and perhaps by one or more additional weights, said weights dropping back in the reverse order as the pressure is diminished, and these vary the speed of the fan engine as hereinafter'stated. Where the range or boiler pressure cannot be permitted to fluctuate the amount necessary to lift and lower all of the weights 36, as shown, it is forced to accommodate the mechanism to such condition without changing the value of the 55 weights themselves, by shifting the cage inward on lever 27 and the poise 18 outward on lever 13. v

'1. The combination of a pipe for supplying fluid under pressure to a fan engine, a controlling valve for said pipe, a counterbalanced lever for operating said valve. a series of weights carried by said lever for conjointly holding the valve fully open, and means actuated by fluid under pressure beyond a predetermined degree, for movement in one direction to successively relieve the lever of said weights to permit it to operate and impart closing movement to said valve; said means under decreasing pressure of the fluid, reverses its movement to successively reimpose said weights upon said lever.

2. The combination of a pipe for supplying fluid under pressure to a fan engine, a controlling valve for said pipe, a counterbalanced lever for operating said valve, a series of weights carried by said lever for conjointly holding the valve fully open, means actuated by fluid under pressure beyond a predetermined degree, for movement in one direction to successively relieve the lever of said weights to permit it to operate and impart closing movements to said valve; said means under decreasing pressure of said fluid, reversing its movement to successively 8 reimpose said weights upon said lever, and means to prevent spasmodic operation of said lever.

8. The combination of a pipe for supplying fluid under pressure to a fan engine, a controlling valve for said pipe, a counterbalanced lever for operating the valve, a series of weights carried by said lever for conjointly holding the valve fully open, means for successively lifting or lowering said weights, and means actuated by fluid under pressure beyond a predetermined degree or falling toward such degree, for respectively lifting or lowering the first named means.

4. The combination of a pipe for supplying fluid under pressure to a fan engine, a controlling valve for said pipe, a counterbalanced lever for operating said valve, a series of weights carried by said lever for conjointly holding the valve fully open, means for successively lifting or lowering said weights, a second lever supporting said first named means, and means actuated by fluid under pressure rising beyond a predetermined degree or falling toward such degree, for respectively lifting or lowering said first-named means.

5. The combination of a pipe for supplying fluid under pressure to a fan engine, a 1 controlling valve for said pipe, a. counterbalanced lever for operating said valve, :1. series of weights carried by said lever for conjointly holding the valve fully open, means for successively lifting or lower- 12 ing said weights, a second lever supporting said first-named means, a diaphragm for operating said second lever in one direction, and means for supplying fluid under pressure to expand said diaphragm 125 to operate said lever to cause said first-named means to relieve the first-named lever of weight.

6. The combination of a pipe for supplying fluid under pressure, to a fan engine, a 130 controlling valve for such pipe, a lever for operating the valve, a series of Weights adjustably carried by said lever for con'oint-ly holding the valve fully open, a secon lever, means carried by the second lever for relieving the firstlever of or reimposing said Weights successively on said first-named lever, and ad'ustable means for changing the load on sand second lever.

7. The combination of a pipe for supplying fluid under pressure to a fan englne, a

controlling valve for such pipe, a lever for operating the valve, a series of Weights adjustably carried by said lever for con'ointly holding the valves fully open, a secon lever,

means carried by the second lever for relieving the first lever of or reimposing said weights successively on said first-named lever, a diaphragm, means carried thereby for engaging the second lever, and means for applying fluid under pressure to expand the diaphragm to cause the lever-engaging means tooperate the second lever to gradually relieve the first-named lever of Weight thereon or permit the diaphragm to contract to gradually reimpose weights upon the firstnamed lever.

8. The combination of a lever, a pipe for supplying fluid under pressure, a valve actuated by said lever for controlling said pipe, a. cage suspended from said lever, a series of superposed Weights carried by said cage and provided with. holes of diameter decreasing from the bottom Weight to the top Weight, a pin having reduced portions corresponding to said Weights to form a corresponding number of shoulders for respectively lifting said Weights one at a time, beginning with the topmost thereof, or for successively loavering said weights one at a time beginning with the undermost thereof, and means actuated by fluid pressure beyond a predetermined degree, for imparting movement to said pin to lift one or more of said Weights and adapted under pressure falling toward said predetermined degree, to reverse the movement of said Weight lifting means.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature,

WM. J. MANHIRE. 

